Dalian (Jinshitan) Birding Reports (4 Viewers)

Dong Bei said:

I don't like to ID birds on call alone, especially when they are rare, ....

Click to expand...

I agree with you on that, Tom. There are indeed some that you can still be sure of on the call, but in general I would rather use the call as further verification not as the primary. A few are just so distinctive that you can be sure, Common Cuckoo, Hoopoe, Ring Neck Pheasant, for instance. Personally, I don't even like to count a new tick without photographic verification.

Great report and we appreciate the audio files!

May 25, 2016 Forest Area behind Tang Dynasty Hot Spring

I did a quick ride around the circle loop this morning behind the Tang Dynasty Hot Spring with my mom hoping to see or hear the Asian Koel that was in there last weekend. No luck on that bird but I did get a lifer in the form of a Northern Hawk Cuckoo. Surprisingly, given the location, I have seen Large Hawk Cuckoo before but never had seen Northern. This one flew across the road right in front of me and I was calling it a Sparrowhawk until I looked better at the photos on the camera. Extremely Sparrowhawkish.

Complete list from the drive below:

Forest area and coast near Xiao Yao Wan, Liaoning, CN
25-May-2016 09:30 - 10:30
Protocol: Traveling
15.0 kilometer(s)
25 species

Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 8
Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) 2
Northern Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx hyperythrus) 1
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) 3
Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 1
Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) 1
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) 1
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) 6
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 10
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 5
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 1
Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) 2
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 3
Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) 1
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus tenellipes) 1
Black-browed Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps) 1
Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis) 1
Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) 4
Grey-backed Thrush (Turdus hortulorum) 1
Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) 8
Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides) 1
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 8
Yellow-billed Grosbeak (Eophona migratoria) 1
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10

Country Club last week

Catching up on some reports here from last week.

Country Club, Liaoning, CN
27-May-2016
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 kilometer(s)
27 species

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 1
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 1
Chinese Pond-Heron (Ardeola bacchus) 1
Striated Heron (Butorides striata) 1
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 3
Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) 1
Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus) 1
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) 3
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 2
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 1
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) 4
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) 4
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 10
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 6
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 3
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 1
Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) 3
Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) 12
Black-browed Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps) 2
Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) 2
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris) 2
Chinese Blackbird (Turdus mandarinus) 1
White-cheeked Starling (Spodiopsar cineraceus) 1
Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) 2
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 10
Yellow-billed Grosbeak (Eophona migratoria) 2
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10

Forest Area Between Country Club and Tang Dynasty Hot Spring

Watched a pair of Tiger Shrike nest building last week using mostly loose tree bark. Went back today and the nest is complete with no sign of the male or female. Maybe sitting on eggs? All pictures below are of the female. The smart looking male always seemed to be behind a leaf. The Scops Owls were both calling which is quite common this time of year at night or around dusk in the mountains here.

Forest area and coast near Xiao Yao Wan, Liaoning, CN
27-May-2016
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 kilometer(s)
32 species

Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) 1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 3
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 6
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 4
Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus) 2
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) 6
Oriental Scops-Owl (Otus sunia) 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 1
Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) 1
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 1
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 2
Tiger Shrike (Lanius tigrinus) 2
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) 3
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) 10
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 10
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 6
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 6
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 4
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 2
Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) 4
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 1
Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) 6
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus tenellipes) 1
Black-browed Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps) 2
Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) 5
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris) 2
Korean Flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia) 1
Grey-backed Thrush (Turdus hortulorum) 2
Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) 1
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 3
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 6
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10

female Tiger Shrike nest preparation

from last week

Hi Tom

Just wondering if your BBRed might not be Manchurian Reed - that dark stripe above the super is awfully thin. Do you have any more pix?

Cheers
Mike

The voice would tell for certain whether BBW or MW. Without that I still lean towards BB. BB voice is similar to the Oriental W. I recently picked up but Tom's definitely has a dark stripe that my OW lacked. OW was also quite large for a warbler.

Mike, thanks for pointing this out. When I originally read your post yesterday I was diving for the books, OBI, and xeno-canto. I've never seen Manchurian so have no experience with it. I heard the photographed bird singing in the reeds and pished it up to have a look. The song of Black-browed and Manchurian are very similar on xeno-canto so this had me checking with others. All of the feedback I've been getting has been Black-browed. It is a very faint eyebrow in the photo and I can see why the question came up having now done some research on Manchurian.

The bad news is that I recently deleted the thousands of photos in my recycle bin. I did have around 20 pictures of the bird in question that are now gone....

Jinshi Golf Club last week

Two hours inside this place. A ticket for 30 rmb is needed to enter and we were not hassled for birding in the entire area which was a nice change from other visits. Lots of nice habitat inside. The most notable thing was the 20+ Thick-billed Warblers. They were all calling and were almost entirely in one area. Not sure if we hit their migration right at its peak or if they were setting up territories to breed there. I believe they breed more north of Dalian but it was interesting to see so many in one area sounding off.

See the squirrel below losing its winter coat.

Jinshi Golf Club, Liaoning, CN
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 kilometer(s)
34 species

Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 10
Japanese Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus) 3
Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) 1
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 25
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 2
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) 4
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 1
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 2
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) 6
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) 12
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 10
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 30
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 6
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 4
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 2
Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) 4
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 1
Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) 6
Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus coronatus) 1
Thick-billed Warbler (Iduna aedon) 23
Black-browed Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps) 14
Oriental Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) 1
Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis) 1
Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) 2
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris) 1
Grey-streaked Flycatcher (Muscicapa griseisticta) 1
Korean Flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia) 1
Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius) 4
Daurian Starling (Agropsar sturninus) 1
Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) 2
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 1
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 20
Yellow-billed Grosbeak (Eophona migratoria) 5
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10

the

rest

May 29, 2016 Jinshitan Geopark.

I spent a few hours here with my parents. Tickets are 70 rmb or 35 for seniors and students. The walk has incredible scenery of coastal landforms/erosion and good birding. It is composed of a rock path that follows the coast as it wraps around the Jinshi Golf Club. There are also several boat tours available in the area, including some to see Finless Porpoise.

The scenic views are fantastic on this walk in late May or June. While there, we noticed that the local government has taken some pages from my book and made them into interpretive signs along the trail! I've no idea how they got them (maybe I gave them a copy once?) but am happy to have them being used for education

The GeoPark is probably the best place in the world (!) to see breeding Blue Rock Thrush from late May through July-August.

Jinshitan Geopark Platform area, Liaoning, CN
29-May-2016 14:00 - 16:00
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 kilometer(s)
25 species

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 2
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 10
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 25
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) 4
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 1
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 1
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 3
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) 2
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) 4
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 10
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 10
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 4
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 5
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 2
Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) 2
Thick-billed Warbler (Iduna aedon) 1
Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis) 4
Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) 5
Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius) 25 breeding area
Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) 1
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 1
Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides) 1
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 15
Yellow-billed Grosbeak (Eophona migratoria) 6
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10

Ooh, nice, a Peregrine nest! I've only spotted such once, in America, and they were a good 300+ meters down the cliff face and on the opposite canyon wall.

The Dawa government in its' "Beautiful Dawa" campaign has recently put up some similar signage, hopefully not also stolen from you.

MKinHK said:

Hi Tom

Just wondering if your BBRed might not be Manchurian Reed - that dark stripe above the super is awfully thin. Do you have any more pix?

Cheers
Mike

Click to expand...

It looks best for Black-browed to me. The supercilium is quite long and broad, including behind the eye (usually tapers more in MRW) and the iris looks dark. The bill doesn't seem particularly long either.
The prominence of the black brow on BBRW is variable.

Here's a story! Thanks to Terry for writing it up on his excellent blog. Please pass it on...
https://birdingbeijing.com/

The Birds of Dalian second edition is here! After much trouble in moving money to the printer, the day is finally here.

This is a 380 page full colour field guide that included 3 pictures of each specie (male, female, flight, etc...) with a short description of each. It is printed on quality paper and also includes maps, habitat guides, threats to local birds, etc.. etc... It is available in English or Chinese and put out through Swarovski Optik. Huge thanks to them for making this dream possible. The book is specific to Dalian in terms of status and times of occurrence but covers many of the east Asian migrants. Please send any orders to [email protected]

I am leaving China in just over 2 weeks and so orders should come in sooner rather than later. After I leave, the books will be available from Swarovski Optik's office in southern China.

More later, in a rush as usual

Birds of Dalian second edition

Hi Everyone,

The Birds of Dalian second edition is now available in English or Chinese. It is 380+ pages and shows more than 300 species in full colour. Most birds included are represented by 3 pictures and often show males, females, and flight photos. Most birds on the East Asian Flyway are included. Both English and Chinese versions have English and Chinese names side by side, making it possible to discuss birds seen between foreign English speakers and Chinese birders. The books were printed through Swarovski Optik so a huge thanks goes to Jackson and his team there. They are 100 RMB each.

I am leaving China in just under 2 weeks from today because an excellent employment opportunity has presented itself for me back in British Columbia, Canada, where I am originally from. If you would like to purchase English and/or Chinese versions of the book right now, please email me at [email protected] Just before I leave, the books will be shipped to Swarovski Optik's southern China office and will be sold from there and they will be marketed through their contacts all over China. Even after I leave, an email to the address above can secure you a book. Again, a huge thanks to Swarovski Optik for their help in printing. Through working with them, I have learned there are large companies in the world that do great things. Swarovski Optik is a company that truly wants to raise awareness of birds/conservation issues in China and make a difference. I have seen this again and again over the last few years.

There are some photos of the books below

Tom

Hi Tom,
Huge congratulations with the new book... it's simply superb!
I can't begin to say how much you are going to be missed.. not only by your fellow birders in China but also all the followers of your thread - one of the best on Birdforum for sure - and perhaps most of all by your students at Maple Leaf who have been extremely lucky to have you as a teacher.. As a legacy, you have not only documented the birds of one of China's largest cities but also, I am 100% sure having met them, inspired many of your students to take an interest in, and work to protect, the natural world. That is priceless.
Looking forward to visiting you in your new home!
All the best to you and your family..
Cheers, Terry

Hi Tom,

Congratulations on the V2.0 of Birds of Dalian. Love to get my hands on it. You will be definitely missed but you have set the bar and passed on the torch to the next generation of Dalian.
It's always good to be back at home.
Happy Birding!

Tom, I too want to say thanks for all your selfless contributions of photos, recordings and lists! Hope the return to Canada goes smoothly.

Tom,

Another thank you from this occasional visitor to China. You made me want to go to Dalian (and that's saying something).